"Minato, this short sword is for you. It's forged from chakra metal."
Late that night, Tsunade and Jiraiya were passed out in a drunken stupor. Tatsuma and Minato had hauled them to a corner to sleep, and the staff at Yakiniku Q had thoughtfully provided blankets and pillows. With their teachers out of commission, the two boys turned their attention to inventorying the mountain of gifts.
While most guests had opted for two identical gifts, some had brought distinct items for each boy. Hatake Sakumo, for instance, had provided a scroll and an old blade.
Minato shook his head at the offer of the sword. "No, you keep the short sword. Sakumo-sama's other gift was a set of notes on Lightning nature transformation; that's a much better fit for me."
Tatsuma didn't press the issue. Even though a chakra metal blade was objectively more expensive than a set of notes, in the world of shinobi, "expensive" didn't always mean "best." Suitability was the only metric that mattered. Tatsuma had no Lightning affinity, so the notes would have been useless to him.
Tatsuma tucked the blade behind him and picked up another scroll. He scanned the label. "This is the Old Man's research on composite ninjutsu. My copy covers Earth and Fire. What about yours?"
Minato found his own scroll from Hiruzen. "Looks like mine is Lightning and Fire."
A flicker of regret crossed both their faces. Hiruzen's gifts were clearly tailored to their specific affinities, meaning they couldn't simply swap and learn both.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, had been much more practical. He had gifted two identical sets of notes on the fundamentals of ninjutsu development—one covering Wind and the other Fire. Since the boys shared both affinities, they could easily share the material.
Among the others, Yuhi Shinko's gift stood out. One scroll contained the B-rank illusion, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, supplemented by Shinko's personal insights and tactical notes. Though it wasn't as exhaustive as Jiraiya's journals, it highlighted several critical nuances and common pitfalls.
The other scroll from Shinko focused on advanced theories for Genjutsu: Release. It covered everything from preventative mental bracing and detecting an illusion from within, to total dissipation and even counter-illusions. It was a goldmine of theory that they could both study.
As for the rest of the guests, their gifts were largely symbolic "standard issue" supplies. The boys had harvested dozens of sealing scrolls packed with shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, soldier pills, and smoke bombs.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio had gone a step further, gifting specialized scrolls pre-loaded with high-level jutsu. To activate them, one only had to unfurl the scroll and channel chakra. These were premium items—the kind of high-end utility gear usually reserved for clan heirs like Shikamaru Nara in the future.
Tatsuma realized that, for the foreseeable future, he wouldn't have to worry about supply costs at all. If he were shameless enough to resell the surplus, he could probably live like a minor noble.
Of course, he had no intention of doing so. Reselling gifts was a slap in the face to the donors, and more importantly... Tatsuma didn't dare have cash. Not liquid assets, anyway. His master was Tsunade; if she ever caught wind of him having a significant savings account, he'd be forced to "filially donate" it to her gambling fund in a heartbeat.
The two spent half the night "dividing the spoils." They used shadow clones to transcribe the shareable scrolls and meticulously logged who gave what. These notes were essential for future reciprocity; while the boys weren't expected to return the favor now, Tsunade and Jiraiya had effectively traded their reputations for these benefits. Eventually, those favors would have to be repaid. Many of the donors were young Jonin who were still bachelors; when they eventually married or had children, the Sannin would be expected to return the sentiment in kind.
Once the gear was packed, the boys curled up in the VIP room to sleep. It was too late to be wandering the streets with such a massive haul of valuable supplies.
Early the next morning, Tatsuma felt a presence. He opened his eyes to find Kushina standing over him and Minato. Tatsuma sat up and nudged Minato awake.
Minato rubbed his eyes, but before he could offer a greeting, Kushina spoke with a look of pure disgust. "Granny Mito wants you two to haul Tsunade and Jiraiya back home. Also, she has gifts for you."
With that, Kushina turned and marched out. Tatsuma sniffed the air and winced. The room was a toxic cocktail of stale smoke, cheap sake, and the lingering, greasy scent of overnight BBQ... mixed with a hint of sour, post-celebration body odor.
"Let's get our teachers home first," Tatsuma suggested.
Minato nodded. He hoisted Jiraiya onto his back while Tatsuma did the same for Tsunade. There was nothing romantic or "sweet" about the proximity; the reek of alcohol was so strong that Tatsuma felt like he was going to gag.
They moved quickly through the quiet morning streets toward the Senju Estate. Tatsuma dropped Tsunade off in her room while Minato carried Jiraiya to a guest room Nawaki had prepared. The boys were about to head home to wash up before officially visiting Lady Mito, but Nawaki stopped them.
"Don't bother going back. We've got new clothes, toothbrushes, and everything ready for you here. Just wash up in the guest bath."
Tatsuma didn't refuse, and seeing that, Minato swallowed his polite decline. After refreshing themselves and changing into the new outfits Nawaki provided, they were led to the main hall where Uzumaki Mito held her lessons.
Mito watched the two boys enter, her smile warm and grandmotherly. Although they had been training at the estate for half a year, she had never seen them in anything but their faded, travel-worn gear. Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya—scatterbrained as they were—had seemed to notice. Mito, however, had. With the New Year approaching, she had personally selected new outfits for them.
The clothes fit perfectly, making the boys look sharp and revitalized. Mito nodded in satisfaction; children deserved to look their best, and the vibrant new colors made them look far more spirited than their old, washed-out rags.
Once the pleasantries were over, Mito's expression turned academic. "I intend to teach you two specific sealing arts today: the Five Elements Seal and its counterpart, the Five Elements Unseal. Do you know the five basic chakra natures?"
Minato nodded. "Wind, Lightning, Water, Fire, and Earth."
Mito nodded, but then held up her right hand, five points of chakra glowing at her fingertips. "Correct. However, the 'Five Elements' in these techniques do not correspond to those chakra natures. Instead, they refer to the traditional elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. This has nothing to do with nature transformation; it is a unique chakra shift produced purely through sealing theory. This is the primary hurdle in mastering these techniques. For the next period of time, we will focus exclusively on this."
Tatsuma and Minato bowed low. "Thank you, Lady Mito!"
She began the lecture, but these were A-rank sealing arts; they weren't the sort of things mastered in a single afternoon. By noon, the boys had only grasped the most basic skeletal structure of the techniques.
Mito stopped the lesson there. "Go wake your teachers for lunch. This afternoon, I will act as witness as you both undergo the formal apprenticeship ceremony."
"Huh?" Tatsuma blinked. Hadn't they just done that last night at the restaurant?
Mito looked at him with patient eyes. "That was a social event. An apprenticeship is different from a ninja squad. It is the passing of a true lineage—the continuation of a core inheritance. That part of the ritual has yet to be completed."